The Trump administration has dropped, withdrawn, or halted enforcement actions against over 100 corporations in its first year, establishing a systematic pattern of protection for companies that donated to Trump’s inauguration. Regulatory enforcement against financial services fell 37% in the …
Trump AdministrationDepartment of JusticeSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)Federal Trade Commission (FTC)corporate-impunityregulatory-captureenforcement-collapsecorruptionpay-to-play
Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, released a comprehensive staff report revealing that President Donald Trump and his family earned more than $800 million from cryptocurrency ventures in the first half of 2025 alone, with total crypto holdings valued at up to $11.6 …
Jamie RaskinDonald TrumpTrump OrganizationTrump FamilyPaul Atkins+21 morecryptocurrencycorruptionself-dealingforeign-influenceemoluments+13 more
On November 3, 2025, President Trump admitted during a CBS “60 Minutes” interview with Norah O’Donnell that he does not know who Changpeng Zhao is—the Binance cryptocurrency founder he pardoned just 11 days earlier on October 23, 2025. When asked why he pardoned Zhao, Trump stated: …
Donald TrumpNorah O'DonnellChangpeng ZhaoCBS News60 Minutes+2 morepardonscorruptioncryptocurrency60-minutesbinance+4 more
The New York Times revealed that after UAE entity MGX (controlled by Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed) invested $2 billion in World Liberty Financial—a cryptocurrency venture co-founded by Trump and special envoy Steve Witkoff—the White House approved the UAE’s acquisition of hundreds of thousands of …
Donald TrumpSteve WitkoffDavid SacksSheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al NahyanMGX+2 morecorruptionpay-to-playinstitutional-captureconflicts-of-interestcryptocurrency+2 more
The Securities and Exchange Commission moved to dismiss its civil fraud case against Trevor Milton, founder of Nikola Corporation, following his pardon by President Trump on March 28, 2025. Milton was convicted in October 2022 of securities fraud for misleading investors about Nikola’s …
Trevor MiltonSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)Donald TrumpNikola Corporationcorruptionregulatory-capturepay-to-playsecurities-fraudelite-impunity
Trump’s 2025 inauguration raised a record-shattering $245 million, with at least $161 million coming from corporations—many facing active federal antitrust investigations or regulatory scrutiny. The donations represent a nearly 2.5x increase over Trump’s 2017 inauguration ($107 million) …
Donald TrumpTrump Inaugural CommitteeAmazonMetaGoogle+3 morepay-to-playcorruptioncorporate-influencequid-pro-quoinauguration
Elon Musk stated that only verified (paid) accounts would be eligible for ‘For You’ recommendations and for voting in polls, tying organic reach to paid verification. This represented a fundamental change in Twitter’s algorithmic distribution of content, effectively creating a …
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Florida businessman Harry Sargeant III told federal prosecutors that associates of Rudy Giuliani approached him seeking a $2 million payment to secure presidential pardons for individuals under investigation, according to court filings unsealed in April 2021. The revelation provided direct evidence …
In his final hours as president, Donald Trump issued 73 pardons and 70 commutations—143 acts of clemency in a single day, overwhelming the typical pardon process and demonstrating systematic corruption of executive power. The pardons went almost exclusively to political allies, campaign donors, and …
Donald TrumpSteve BannonElliott BroidyKen KursonPaul Manafort+2 morepardonscorruptionabuse-of-powerfraudpay-to-play
President Trump pardoned his son-in-law Jared Kushner’s father, real estate developer Charles Kushner, along with 14 other allies in a single day, demonstrating brazen nepotism and abuse of presidential clemency power. Charles Kushner had pleaded guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of illegal campaign …
Donald TrumpCharles KushnerJared KushnerPaul EricksonMargaret Hunter+1 morepardonscorruptionnepotismabuse-of-powerpay-to-play
President Trump’s systematic abuse of pardon power between 2017-2021 established a pattern of corruption that transformed constitutional clemency authority into a criminal enterprise. Analysis of Trump’s 237 pardons and commutations reveals a president who monetized executive power, …
Donald TrumpRudy GiulianiJared KushnerWilliam Barrpardonscorruptionpay-to-playabuse-of-powerconstitutional-crisis
T-Mobile executives spent over 95,000 at Trump International Hotel while seeking approval for their 6 billion merger with Sprint, with more than 52 overnight stays documented. The spending coincided with the merger review period when T-Mobile needed approval from Trump’s Justice Department and …
Private prison companies CoreCivic and GEO Group saw their stock prices surge 100% and 98% respectively after donating nearly $2.8 million to Trump’s campaign and inauguration. Attorney General Jeff Sessions immediately reversed Obama’s order to phase out private prisons, declaring …
CoreCivicGEO GroupJeff SessionsDonald TrumpImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)+1 moreprivate-prisonspay-to-playimmigration-detentioncampaign-financecorruption
Former Utah Attorneys General Mark Shurtleff and John Swallow were arrested by FBI and Utah Department of Public Safety agents on 23 combined felony and misdemeanor charges including bribery, accepting gifts, tampering with evidence, obstruction of justice, and racketeering. Prosecutors alleged both …
Mark ShurtleffJohn SwallowJeremy JohnsonMarc Sessions JensonFBI+1 morecorruptionbriberyevidence-tamperingminimal-accountabilityinstitutional-capture+1 more
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi pressured two senior prosecutors, June Clarkson and Theresa Edwards, to resign from their positions leading the state’s investigation into foreclosure fraud and robo-signing by major banks and mortgage servicers. The attorneys had uncovered massive fraud …
After a seven-week federal trial, Providence Mayor Vincent “Buddy” Cianci Jr. is convicted on June 24, 2002, of one count of racketeering conspiracy as the culmination of Operation Plunder Dome, the FBI’s multi-year undercover investigation into systematic corruption within …
Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Jr.Federal Bureau of InvestigationU.S. Attorney's OfficeU.S. District Judge Ernest TorresProvidence City Governmentcorruptionracketeeringoperation-plunder-domerhode-islandmunicipal-corruption+3 more
George W. Bush formalized an unprecedented campaign bundling system where ‘Rangers’ raising 00,000+ and ‘Pioneers’ raising 00,000+ received federal appointments. In 2000, 241 Pioneers reached their goals, contributing to Bush raising 7 million in first 4 months. By 2004, the …
George W. BushKarl RoveMercer ReynoldsThomas ScullySam Fox+2 morecampaign-financepay-to-playappointmentsbundlingcorruption+1 more
In 1996, ALEC adopted an internal business plan that explicitly redefined the organization’s purpose in commercial terms, cementing its pay-to-play structure for moving pro-corporate legislation through state legislatures. The plan stated: “ALEC must begin to function more like a …
American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)corporate-capturelegislative-capturealecpay-to-playcorporate-lobbying+1 more